


Return to Abnormal

by St_Salieri



Series: Reconnections [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-03
Updated: 2006-01-03
Packaged: 2017-11-25 07:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/636608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/St_Salieri/pseuds/St_Salieri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Buffy and Spike reconnect in Season 7.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Return to Abnormal

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place right before the events of _Dirty Girls_

The patrol was a bust. Buffy didn't know if it was because the vamps were sneakier than usual, or if it was because of her current distraction.

Of course, it was all Spike's fault. That much was a given.

They were...friendly. That was the best word for it. And that was a good thing, right? It was the best possible outcome to the whole sordid mess of last year. Spike had been growing stronger and stronger, and he seemed quite capable now of coping with his new soul. He treated her with respect, he gave her her space, he had her back...it was exactly what she wanted.

So why did she feel like she was missing one of her limbs?

And was it wrong to ask for more, even when she already had everything she'd wanted? There was a deep, hungry part of her -- the part that screamed in frustration at going so long without being touched -- that almost missed what they used to have. Almost. Not the badness, not the self-hatred and the distant, angry sex, but just the visceral feeling of his flesh against hers, and the way they fit together so well.

If she had to pick a moment, she'd say that it came back to the moment when she found Robin Wood bleeding and broken in his cross-covered garage. She had been so frightened and angry when she'd found out that Giles was stalling her, but Spike had surprised her. Not because he hadn't killed the principal, but because he'd fought back in the first place. She'd had a deep fear that he was still at the point where he would let himself get beaten on out of some misplaced sense of guilt. But instead she'd found Spike standing tall, in complete control of himself and the situation. She had been so proud of him.

And was it so wrong that she was a little bit turned on by the whole thing?

"What?"

"Huh?" Buffy blinked, and saw that Spike was looking at her with a quizzical expression. "What?"

His face creased in a small smile, which he quickly wiped away. "You were staring at me."

"No, I wasn't." _Oh, great. Five, much?_ She rolled her eyes at her own lame answer and nodded her head at a point behind his back. "I was trying to take a look at the Greggson crypt. Is it my fault your great big head was in the way?"

"Uh huh."

He was giving her that unsettling stare again, the one that made her stomach knot up. What in the hell was wrong with her? This was _Spike_ , for god's sake. He'd seen her naked. He knew all her kinks, all her dirty little secrets. So why did she keep feeling so weird around him?

 _It's the whole ex-thing,_ Buffy decided, and almost laughed in relief at the simplicity of the answer. That was it, wasn't it? She'd never really had to deal with the whole being-friends-with-the-ex thing, and it was freaking her out a little bit. Angel and Riley had pretty much taken off after their respective breakups, so she didn't have a lot of practice at dealing with the long-term oddness and mixed feelings. _That's all there is to it. I can do this. I'm a modern woman, with taste, composure and a pretty good right hook. I can be friends with my ex. That's what normal people do, right?_

Buffy suddenly realized that she had started staring at Spike again during her internal monologue, and that he was hiding a grin. _Damn it! And damn him too._ She took off at a brisk walk in the opposite direction, causing him to jog to keep up with her.

"I'm sorry, I've just been a little distracted lately." She almost missed his eye roll, and she glared at him. "Fine. You try dealing with ten cranky teenagers in the house. It's like Dawn at her worst, multiplied by a hundred. I swear all of them are having PMS at the same time. Plus, Willow's supposed to be back tonight, and she's got Faith with her."

And she did _not_ want to talk about the Faith thing. She felt seventeen again, and seventeen had sucked. Faith's impending return had brought to the surface long-buried resentments and insecurities, and she simply didn't have time to sort through them all right now. Not with the Potentials thing, and not with the Spike thing. Except the Spike thing wasn't really a "thing", was it? She'd already self-diagnosed the problem as Familiar Ex Syndrome, and that was that. End of problem.

"Faith," Spike mused. "Pretty interesting, that one. Sounds like she was a bit of the big bad back in her day."

"Well, she's not," she said shortly. And...was that _jealousy_ she felt? She tried to tamp down on the feeling, but it was too late. She knew Spike had a Slayer thing going on, and Faith had the whole reformed bad girl thing. Oh, god. They sounded perfect for each other. Except that Spike wouldn't do that, because he wasn't interested in anyone else. Right? Not that she would care if he was, after all, because she was being friends with the ex, and friends were supportive of each other.

But she wasn't friends with Faith, and if that bitch dared mess with Spike, she was in for a world of hurt.

"Whatever," she muttered. "Have you patrolled over in the northwest corner recently? There was a burial there the other day, so we should check it out."

He sighed and fell into step beside her as she wheeled around and headed for the other side of the cemetery.

"Look," he said, "I know you've got a mountain of bad to deal with. You should be off planning battles or something, not stalking recent graves and chasing just-turned vamps. If you want me to deal with this on my own, it's no problem. I don't need a babysitter."

A...what? Babysitter? Is that what he thought....? She smiled tightly to cover the hurt.

"For your information," she said easily, "I happen to like patrolling. It's a stress release, plus it gets me out of the house for a while, which is an extra bonus." Spike still looked slightly unsure and defensive, and she softened enough to give him an easier smile. "Spike, I trust you," she said in a quieter voice. "No babysitting. But if you want me to leave..."

"No!" he said hurriedly. "I mean, unless you want to."

"Well, I don't."

"Well...good!"

"Good!"

 _And there are the comic stylings of Buffy and Spike, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming, and be sure to tip your waitresses._ He was giving her that bemused look again, the one she had so much trouble figuring out. Well, if there was one thing she'd learned from Giles, it was that the best defense is a good offense.

"And now you're staring," she pointed out.

"Well, you're blocking my view," he returned with an easy grin, and she couldn't help giving a short laugh before deliberately wiping all traces of her smile away. _Gotcha._

"Why, Spike," she said sweetly but with a touch of ice. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

She tried to keep her composure, but ended up laughing out loud at the look of panic that crossed his face.

"There's no way I can get out of this gracefully, can I?" he said weakly, and she shook her head with a smug grin.

"Nope, sorry."

"Well, you're the one who started on about my big head," he pointed out sulkily, then brightened slightly as a speculative look crossed his face. "Been thinking about me that much, have you?"

"What? No!" Damn him. Had he always been this good at turning the tables on her? "I was right about the big head," she muttered, then froze. She'd just given him the perfect opening. Except that he wouldn't take it, because this was New and Improved Spike, complete with soul, and he wouldn't automatically go for the dirty....

"Hmmm," he purred with a filthy look. "Not the only thing about me you've called big, as I recall."

...Oh my God. He went there. The dirty smirk had disappeared as if it had never been there, and he was currently giving her a perfectly innocent look. Well, she wasn't having it. She knew what she'd seen, and she knew what he'd be expecting her to do. Two could play at this game. She felt a giddy sense of release, and almost laughed aloud again.

"Did I say that?" she asked innocently. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I must have had my mind on other things at the time."

Spike's eyes darkened and he gave her a hungry look. What in the hell was she doing? Flirting? _Stop this! This will only lead to badness!_

"If you'd like, I'd be happy to give you a refresher course, pet."

Pet. Oh god, he was using the names. She hadn't even noticed how badly she'd missed his stupid little terms of endearment until he'd stopped. Spike was edging closer to her, and she found herself subconsciously pulled toward him as well. Time to stop this.

"I don't think that will be necessary," she said, but her voice came out all breathy and annoying. What was wrong with her? Spike frowned slightly and took a step back. Part of her breathed a sigh of relief, but another part...oh, how it hungered for his return. "That is," she found herself saying quickly, "I think I remember everything after all."

Spike smiled slowly, that quizzical look back in his eyes. "Everything?" he asked, stepping back towards her again and lifting a hand to her face. He didn't touch her, just let his fingers hover over the surface of her cheek. Buffy could almost feel the electric connection between them. Her face tingled as the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Slowly, never letting her gaze move from his, she tilted her head so that her cheek was resting in his cupped hand. She took a shuddering breath.

"Everything," she said softly, giving him a gentle smile. He was so near to her, but neither of them moved to close the gap. They were connected only where his hand held her face, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone in a soft sweep, and it was enough.

It was perfect.

Buffy didn't know how long they stood like that, but they both jumped at the crackle of a broken twig nearby. As one, they spun to see a young woman in vamp face giving them a considering look before taking off at a run, a frightened look on her face.

"Newbies," Spike said with a groan. "Don't any of them know how to be stealthy anymore? At least she recognized a Slayer when she saw one." He turned to run off after the vampire, then hesitated.

"Later?" he asked Buffy in a low voice, his back to her.

She knew what he was really asking, and she knew that he was leaving it in her hands. If she wanted it, they would both pretend that the moment between them had never happened, and things would go back to normal. It was her choice.

And she knew what she wanted.

"Yeah," she said with a small smile. "Later."

Spike gave her a grin in return, and she could see equal parts of relief and apprehension in it. Without another word he took off running after the vampire. Buffy followed him at a walk, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

Back to abnormal.

 


End file.
